The influence of social preferences and reputational concerns on intergroup prosocial behaviour in gains and losses contexts.

Department of Experimental Psychology University of Oxford Oxford, UK.

Abstract

To what extent do people help ingroup members based on a social preference to improve ingroup members' outcomes, versus strategic concerns about preserving their reputation within their group? And do these motives manifest differently when a prosocial behaviour occurs in the context of helping another gain a positive outcome (study 1), versus helping another to avoid losing a positive outcome (study 2)? In both contexts, we find that participants are more prosocial towards ingroup (versus outgroup members) and more prosocial when decisions are public (versus private) but find no interaction between group membership and either anonymity of the decision or expected economic value of helping. Therefore, consistent with a preference-based account of ingroup favouritism, people appear to prefer to help ingroup members more than outgroup members, regardless of whether helping can improve their reputation within their group. Moreover, this preference to help ingroup members appears to take the form of an intuitive social heuristic to help ingroup members, regardless of the economic incentives or possibility of reputation management. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of intergroup prosocial behaviour are discussed.

(a) Example decision screens for the gains-context lottery task (study 1). The figure shows that on a given trial, participants might have a choice between a left-hand lottery where they pay £0 from their own money to give another player a 20% chance of winning £10, or the right-hand lottery where they pay £1 and the other player has an 80% chance of winning £10. (b) Example decision screens for the losses-context lottery task (study 2). On a given trial, participants might have a choice between a left-hand lottery where they pay £1 from their own money to give another player only a 20% chance of losing £10, or the right-hand lottery where they pay nothing and the other player has an 80% chance of losing £10.

(a) Incidence of prosocial behaviour as a function of conditions in study 1. Results show that participants paid money to help other players gain money when the other player was an ingroup member, and when the decision was public. (b) Incidence of prosocial behaviour as a function of conditions in study 2. Results show that participants paid money to help other players avoid losing money when the other player was an ingroup member, and when the decision was public.

(a) Participants were more prosocial to ingroup than outgroup members, but there were also lower rates of helping as expected economic value decreased. (b) Participants were more prosocial to ingroup than outgroup members, but there were also lower rates of helping as expected economic value decreased.